Permaculture is also about careful and contemplative observation of nature and natural systems, and of recognizing universal patterns and principles, then learning to apply these ‘ecological truisms’ to one’s own circumstances.

At the heart of permaculture design and practice is a fundamental set of ‘core values’ or ethics which remain constant whatever a person's situation, whether they are creating systems for town planning or trade; whether the land they care for is only a windowbox or an entire forest.

Permaculture is built upon anethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways.

Permaculture is: the design of land use systems that are sustainable and environmentally sound; the design of culturally appropriate systems which lead to social stability; a design system characterized by an integrated application of ecological principles in land use; an international movement for land use planning and design; anethical system stressing positivism and cooperation.

Permaculture is unique among alternative farming systems (e.g., organic, sustainable, eco-agriculture, biodynamic) in that it works with a set of ethics that suggest we think and act responsibly in relation to each other and the earth.

www.permacultureactivist.net /intro/PcIntro.htm (5400 words)

Permaculture Pages(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

The end result of the adoption of Permaculture strategies in any country or region will be to dramatically reduce the area of the agricultural environment needed by the households and the settlements of people, and to release much of the landscape for the sole use of wildlife and for re-occupation by native species.

The word "Permaculture" was popularized in the 1970's by Australian ecologist, Dr. Bill Mollison, as a contraction of permanent and agriculture, with an implication of permanence in culture.

Permaculture strives for agriculture that is ecologically sound and sustainable in the long term: this means that it should be non-polluting, economically and socially viable, and provide for its own needs.

Permaculture uses the inherent, or natural, qualities of plants and animals, combined with the natural characteristics of landscapes and structures, to produce a life- supporting system for city and country, using the smallest area possible.

However, permaculture is not about these elements themselves, but rather about the relationships we can create between them by the way we place them in the landscape.

Permaculture is not an end or destination, but rather a means or road leading towards sustainable and ecologically sound ways to meet human needs.

Permaculture is an approach to land use is a philosophy is a lifestyle works with, rather than against nature creates homes that resemble naturalecosystems in their efficiency, productivity, health and beauty, and is concerned with farming, landscaping and gardening, but also includes plumbing, heating, architecture and money management

Permaculture has always been predicated on the assumption that net energy availability is declining after probably reaching a peak sometime in the 1960's.

As I saw permaculture in the 1970's, it was a beneficial assembly of plants and animals in relation to human settlements, mostly aimed towards household and community self reliance, and perhaps as a "commercial endeavor" only arising from a surplus from the system.

Permaculture, then, is a design system that encompasses both "permanent agriculture" and "permanent culture." It recognizes, first, that all living systems are organized around energy flows.

All permaculture design is based on three ethics: Care of the earth (because all living things have intrinsic worth); care of the people; and reinvest all surplus, whether it be information, money, or labor, to support the first two ethics.

This was in response to the rapidly growing use of destructive post-war industrial agricultural methods that were poisoning the land and water, reducing biodiversity, and removing billions of tonnes of soil from previously fertilelandscapes.

A design approach called 'permaculture' was the result and was first made public with the publication of Permaculture One in 1978.

Permaculture is now well-established across the world and there are many inspiring examples of its use.

Permaculture-based cultivation is in use in India, Nepal, and at a few urban sites in the West, the latter to economize on transport costs.

Permaculture makes use of such techniques as mulching rather than digging, using climbing and dwarf species to maximize beneficial relationships in a restricted area, using minimal work and minimal chemicals.

The term permaculture was coined by Australian ecologist, Bill Mollison, in 1974.

Permaculture: Optimal System of Food Production(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

Permaculture is more than a sustainablefood production system - it is not limited to plant and animal production, but also includes community planning and development, use of appropriate technology and adoption of concepts and philosophies that are earth-based and people-centred.

The overall goal of permaculture design is to establish resource and energy conserving (including human energy) landscapes that are agriculturally productive, that take into account and mimic, as much as possible, relationships and processes found in the natural environment, and that approach the diversity, stability and resilience found in naturalecosystems.

Though the word permaculture was first coined in 1975, it described an ideal that many had been working toward for a long time.

PINA is in the process of developing a 23-acre permaculture demonstration site and an educational and interpretive center on Whidbey Island in Washington state.

www.context.org /ICLIB/IC08/Jackson.htm (1867 words)

Permaculture(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

An accessible introduction to the principles and practice of permaculture in temperate climates, for the city, the country and on the farm.

Permaculture is a way of life and its methods can be applied in the house, the garden, the wider community and on the farm.

Permaculture is not about getting away from it all but taking control of our lives, our individual needs and our common future.

Permaculture is a method of producing foodstuff in a closed loop that maintains a self-sufficient system.

Worm farms are not an essential item of a permaculture garden, though the compost, castings and liquid produced are an added bonus to the health and vitality of soil structure when added to compost.

Water in the permaculture garden is important not only for keeping the soil and plants hydrated but also for attracting insects and native birds, which will also feed on insect pests.

www.safecom.org.au /permaculture.htm (2466 words)

What is Permaculture?(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

The permaculture design system, devised by Dr Bill Mollison (left) and David Holmgren (right), was first coined in 1976 and set out in their 1st published book "Permaculture One" in 1978.

From a philosophy of cooperation with nature and each other, of caring for the earth and people, permaculture presents an approach to designing environments which have the diversity, stability and resilience of naturalecosystems, to regenerate damaged land and preserve environments which are still intact.

Such a definition implies that permaculture designers are active in a broad range of areas.

A more current definition of permaculture, which reflects the expansion of focus implicit in Permaculture One, is 'Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs.

In this sense, permaculture is not the landscape, or even the skills of organic gardening, sustainable farming, energy efficient building or eco-village development as such, but can be used to design, establish, manage and improve these and all other efforts made by individuals, households and communities towards a sustainable future.

Permaculture is also a world wide network and movement of individuals and groups working in both rich and poor countries on all continents.

Permaculture is a contraction of "permanent" and "agriculture" and "permanent" and "culture." In the word is recognition that no culture is permanent without permanent -- or sustainable -- agriculture.

The aim of permaculture is to create systems that are ecologically sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and are therefore sustainable.

Permaculture is based on the observation of natural systems, the wisdom contained in traditional farming systems, and modern scientific and technological knowledge.

www.nextstep.state.mn.us /res_detail.cfm?id=663 (270 words)

Permaculture The Earth(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

Permaculture research reveals that this stability is achieved only through a complex network of connections..."functional connections" between elements in the total system.

Permacultureprinciples are now being adapted to all systems and disciplines that human settlement requires.

To obtain more information about what permaculture is, you may want to read some of the definitions we've compiled along with articles pertaining to permaculture design.

www.permaearth.org (307 words)

Permaculture(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

Permaculture is an approach to planning human settlements that uses intelligent design to increase the abundance of natural systems and the efficiency of human activities.

Because Permaculture involves a set of design principles which can be learned in a few days, either in a workshop or at home, it empowers people at grassroots level to take responsibility for the resources which our society has reglegated to the professional elite.

Permaculture Focused on meeting basic human needs in an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable manner, permaculture branches out from creating ecological landscapes that produce foods, to include mindful land-use and community planning.

It is seen as the answer to activism, and a series of upcoming locally organized instructional events  as close as Southeast Austin and as far as the southern side of the Tex-Mex border  are designed to provide individuals with tools to affect changes through their own existence.

She said permaculture is "less about living off the grid and being self-sufficient than being self-reliant: knowing where stuff like food and energy comes from and taking responsibility for it." She added that while most of us don't grow our own food, many don't even know where it's grown.